26
MANUSCRIPTS
of well-being or contentment, but this state itself is almost undefinable. Because this definition is so unspecified, I feel that there must
be also a broader effect of the revelation of reality~an effect which
goes beyond the primary state of disillusionment.
An initial confusion and sorrow were felt by the man on the mountain as a result of
his encounter with reality, but this was complemented by or perhaps
replaced by a later recognition of the trickery of a simple phenomenon. It is reasonable to assume that relief of a sort must have been
felt as a result of this revelation. A certain degree of contentment
must have been experienced upon viewing a situation which was no
longer baffling; indeed, we might call it happiness. This would be
the deeper effect of pursuing truth.
'vVe can safely conclude that what one desires does not always
bring contentment, but coupled with the assimilation of new information an unhap/Jiness can become a happiness of greater worth. Because the result is broadened knowledge, the initial unhappiness is
justified.
Did the man on the mountain experience unhappiness?
Yes, he did. Did the pursuit of truth and the eventual discovery of
it cause him anguish ? Yes, it did. Anguish can, however, result in
the evolution of a more profound pleasure. As the man scanned the
territory he had traveled and began his journey back to the home he
had foresaken for the purpose of pursuing a dirty hovel, he was the
master of himself. His gnawing ignorance was not.
He·s a Rough Character.
Ladies
Brenda Stump
/
backed you into the corner, rolled an avalanche of
kisses over you and whispered cleverly contrived phrases into
your ear, he suddenly breaks away, covers his face with his
hands, and murmurs, "I don't want to hurt you." Until I find a
better reply to this statement, I usually say, "Don't flatter yourself,
Buster!" The typical American male is an excellent actor, especially
when the lights are low. He's on stage alone with the leading lady of
the evening. Until this point it has been a lovely evening and you've
laughed and talked about numerous subjects, such as his opinion of
the Chicago Bears and how to improve them, his opinion of the armed
forces and how he plans to dodge them, and, of course, his opinion of
his last elate and how charming she was. As the lights go clown, his
ego comes up. He's everything you didn't think he was. He's suave.
considerate, and soft-spoken.
Once you've hit the corner and he's
finally backed of f enough for you to retrieve your senses, he's begun
his speech. He proceeds to warn you against the dangers of his
charm. He has many things to do before he becomes serious or gets
A
l''TER lIE'S
MANUSCRIPTS
27
tied clown. After college there's the draft, and of course he wants to
travel. Up to this point you haven't uttered a word. You've stood
th~re trying d~sperately to recall something you might have said to
bring about this sermon.
But don't let this rascal fool you, ladies!
He's thinking, "She's the girl of my dreams."
It is not that he's
afraid of hurting you, he's afraid of getting burned a bit himself.
Back 0.££ a little and reverse the play by saying, "You're right, Charlie! Let's call it quits."
But be sure to stay"near the telephone the
next day.
Another thing you must realize, ladies, is that talking with a
male is like talking with a parrot.
He repeats what you've said, then
shakes his head because he knows you're wrong before you've said
anything.
He never follows a path of reason. He always has definite opinions, and he's always right.
He'll discuss his opinions,
however, so just keep your mouth shut, and he'll talk for hours. It
is really quite interesting to watch two males trying to discuss something. They do everything except step on each other's hands in order
to get their views stated.
Men refuse to listen. Most of them can
talk fairly intelligibly, but they fail to realize that they might learn
something if they remained silent for a few moments.
I will agree
that we ladies do tend to talk quite a bit when we are among other
ladies. We do, however, know how to listen. When we females are
in the company of males, we speak only when spoken to, but not
always by choice. If a lady does muster enough courage to add a
short statement to a gentleman'S conversation her statement is usually followed by a snicker or that sarcastic smile of his. He pats you
on the arm, takes a deep breath, and changes the subject. Therefore,
all you have to do ladies is to sit there try to look beautiful, and
remain silent.
"
,
Men also are constant complainers.
They are never satisfied
with your appearance, and they're not at all hesitant about their dISapproval.
If you have a lovely new hair-do, a man will notice that
your eye make-up is too heavy. If he is not the center of atte~ltlon at
the party, it is a boring party.
If you do talk him into. taking you
downtown to a movie, he'll complain about being dressed \_~p,he'll
complain about the movie and your choice of seats. He 1I151stSyou
choose the seats, and instead of wandering up and do_wn the dark
rows, you point in a central direction, and he immedIately escorts
you to the seats of your choice.
Good manners are usually very important to. a man. I say ~lSUally, because sometimes he opens the car cloor for you, and sometrmes
he doesn't.
The only time you can be sure that he is going to be
mannerly is if he is in the public eye. You'll be treated like a queen!
Come rain, sleet, snow or hail, he appears at a first glance to be
the All-American Boy. Take a close look. What do you see behind
that mask?
You see a walking, talking, smiling hypocrite, who, for
some reason, looks upon you as a prop that he uses in his little act.
It makes him feel important to have you around for several reasons:
28
MANUSCRIPTS
he gains sexual satisfaction and status, and he uses you for an ego
builder and a servant.
My suggestions and clues to the American male are as follows:
1. A woman does not fall instantly in love with a man because he
kisses her forehead or holds her hand. 2. Keep your mouth shut and
let a woman talk. Maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised at what she
has to say. 3. Stop complaining about everything that isn't your idea
or creation. Tell her she's lovely-she builds up your ego constantly
merely by being with you. 4. Be considerate of a woman. Judge her
as an individual who appreciates the fact that she is a woman, you are
a man. Just don't judge her on the "Me Tarzan, you Jane" level.
Actually, I like men. Not all of them are vegetables. I have
merely stated what are usually the basic faults of most men. It may
seem strange that their faults pertain mainly to the treatment of
ladies, but these are the faults I notice. In discussing these shortcomings with the members of my sex, I find that most women agree
that men are generally a pretty good bunch of fellows. If they would
just polish off the rough edges, they would be very acceptable. Grab
the sandpaper, ladies. Only you can shape him into the ideal American male.
A Gift of Christmas
Anne Szatkowski
I
/
HAD NEVER spent a Christmas without Aunt Stella and Harold;
they were always there-Aunt
Stella sitting in front of the tree
and Harold peering at the names on the packages as he tried to
hand them to their recipients, because Harold thought of himself as
Santa Claus. Aunt Stella was my grandfather's
half-sister and
Harold, her only child, was born quite late in her life with an incurable thyroid deficiency which made him somewhat mentally and
physically retarded.
Harold was nearly as old as my mother, but
had grown in height and mind to the age of about a nine-year-old;
however, horizontally he was as wide as he was tall, and the lines of
his face revealed his age rather accurately. Harold's father had died
shortly after Harold was born, and he and his mother lived alone in
Chicago with no other living relatives who really cared, except my
grandparents and my mother. Since she was five, my mother had
never known a Christmas without them. The year I was sixteen,
however, I knew for sure that I would just die if they were gathered
around our Christmas tree that particular morning.
I had met Joe who was just about the most nearly perfect seventeen-year-old boy that ever existed. I just knew that Joe had absolutely no defectives in his family; he was so perfect it would simply
be impossible. Joe's parents had asked me to their family's Christ-